MetaFilter posts tagged with foreignpolicy and Warhttp://www.metafilter.com/tags/foreignpolicy+War
Posts tagged with 'foreignpolicy' and 'War' at MetaFilter.Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:18:43 -0800Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:18:43 -0800en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60the cult of the uniformhttp://www.metafilter.com/144366/the%2Dcult%2Dof%2Dthe%2Duniform
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/11/09/you_dont_protect_my_freedom_our_childish_insistence_on_calling_soldiers_heroes_deadens_real_democracy/">You don’t protect my freedom: Our childish insistence on calling soldiers heroes deadens real democracy</a> <blockquote>Wars that are not heroic have no real heroes, except for the people who oppose those wars. Far from being the heroes of recent wars, American troops are among their victims. No rational person can blame the soldier, the Marine, the airman, or the Navy man for the stupid and destructive foreign policy of the U.S. government, but calling them “heroes,” and settling for nothing less, makes honest and critical conversations about American foreign policy less likely to happen. If all troops are heroes, it doesn’t make much sense to call their mission unnecessary and unjust...
Calling all cops and troops heroes insults those who actually are heroic – the soldier who runs into the line of fire to protect his division, the police officer who works tirelessly to find a missing child – by placing them alongside the cops who shoot unarmed teenagers who have their hands in the air, or the soldier who rapes his subordinate.
It also degrades the collective understanding of heroism to the fantasies of high-budget, cheap-story action movies. The American conception of heroism seems inextricably linked to violence; not yet graduated from third-grade games of cops and robbers. Explosions and smoking guns might make for entertaining television, but they are not necessary, and more and more in modern society, not even helpful in determining what makes a hero...
The assignment of heroism, exactly like the literary construct, might have more to do with the assignment of villainy than the actual honoring of “heroes.” Every hero needs a villain. If the only heroes are armed men fighting the country’s wars on drugs and wars in the Middle East, America’s only villains are criminals and terrorists. If servants of the poor, sick and oppressed are the heroes, then the villains are those who oppress, profit from inequality and poverty, and neglect the sick. If that is the real battle of heroism versus villainy, everyone is implicated, and everyone has a far greater role than repeating slogans, tying ribbons and placing stickers on bumpers.</blockquote>
*William Astore - <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175276">“Our American Heroes”: Why It’s Wrong to Equate Military Service with Heroism</a>
*Michael Moore - <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/support-the-troops_b_2402749.html">Those Who Say 'I Support the Troops' Really Don't</a>
*William Deresiewicz - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/opinion/sunday/americas-sentimental-regard-for-the-military.html?pagewanted=all">An Empty Regard: America's Sentimental Regard for the Military</a>
Canadian Dimension - <a href="https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-nhl-and-the-new-canadian-militarism">The NHL and the New Canadian Militarism: National Game, International Shame</a>
<blockquote>Ours is not to talk about actual details of Canada’s military engagements, it is simply to “support the troops.” Those who question this mantra are told that while one may or may not agree with the particular deployments of the Canadian Armed Forces, we all have a responsibility to support the men and women who put their bodies on the line for us.
But the logic does not hold. Uncritically supporting the troops is a tacit support of their deployments especially since, in the first place, that support is premised on the notion that they are protecting us. That is, it requires that we believe that the troops’ particular deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Haiti, Mali and elsewhere are making us safer — a claim that is not at all self-evident. Moreover, the military celebrations at NHL games themselves make no effort to separate the troops from their missions, and it needs to be added that there are plenty of other Canadians — aid workers, doctors, nurses, activists — who also put their bodies on the line doing work that doesn’t involve killing, injuring or torturing anyone. They receive no similar tributes at hockey games.</blockquote>
*<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/08/25/no_thanks_i_wont_support_the_troops/">No, thanks: Stop saying “support the troops”</a> -
"Compulsory patriotism does nothing for soldiers who risk their lives, but props up those who profit from war"
*<a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/06/13/inside_americas_militarized_mind_how_propaganda_and_perpetual_war_have_poisoned_our_imaginations/">Inside America’s militarized mind: How propaganda and perpetual war have poisoned our imaginations</a> -
"I’m not saying we should treat our troops with disdain, but as our history has shown us, genuflecting before them is not a healthy sign of respect. Consider it a sign as well that we really are all government issue now."
*<a href="http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/199201--.htm">Noam Chomsky on propaganda</a> tag:metafilter.com,2014:site.144366Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:18:43 -0800flex"Just because we have the best hammer"http://www.metafilter.com/139804/Just%2Dbecause%2Dwe%2Dhave%2Dthe%2Dbest%2Dhammer
Presdient Obama gave a speech (<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/05/28/america-must-always-lead-president-obama-addresses-west-point-graduates">video</a>, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/28/remarks-president-west-point-academy-commencement-ceremony">transcript</a>) at the United States Military Academy last month that outlined American foreign policy.</br>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-r-depetris/obamas-west-point-address_b_5412164.html">Reaction</a> has been mixed. <i>CNN</i>: <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/28/politics/obama-west-point-foreign-policy/">Obama outlines foreign policy vision of 'might and right'</a> <blockquote>President Barack Obama on Wednesday outlined a foreign policy vision of "might doing right," arguing that modern pragmatism requires both a strong military and the diplomatic tools of alliances and sanctions to exert influence and provide global leadership.</blockquote>
<i>Brookings</i>: <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2014/05/28-four-disappointments-obama-west-point-speech-wright">Four Disappointments in Obama’s West Point Speech</a>
<i>TIME</i>: <a href="http://time.com/#124440/obamas-speech-was-not-exciting/">Obama's West Point Speech Was Not Exciting</a>
<i>Huffington Post</i>: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/obama-at-west-point_1_b_5431878.html">Obama At West Point</a> <blockquote>Obama's speech was long but his message simple: "the right policy is one that is both interventionist and internationalist, but not isolationist or unilateral." It seeks to strike two critical balances. One is between "overreach" in presuming to rectify every one of the world's problems or turning our back on issues and developments that could threaten tangible American interests. The other is between over-reliance on military force simply because it is our strong suit or being overly hesitant in using it where and when appropriate. </blockquote>
<i>Foreign Policy</i>: <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/05/29/obama_s_west_point_speech_is_our_problem_not_his_us_foreign_policy">Obama's West Point Speech Is Our Problem, Not His</a> - "And as much as you might want a different foreign policy, it’s hard to say the president’s is not working."
<i>Project Syndicate</i>: <a href="http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ian-buruma-defends-barack-obama-s-retreat-from-pax-americana">America's Late Imperial Dilemma</a>
<i>War On The Rocks</i>: <a href="http://warontherocks.com/2014/06/china-russia-and-the-outlook-for-the-liberal-international-system/">China, Russia, and the Outlook for the Liberal International System</a>
<i>The American Conservative</i>: <a href="http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/obamas-west-point-realism/">Obama's West Point Realism</a>
<i>The New York Times</i>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/world/americas/in-obamas-speeches-a-shifting-tone-on-terror.html">In Obama's Speeches, a Shifting Tone on Terror</a>
<a title="Arms Control Wonk" href="http://krepon.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/4152/the-obama-doctrine">The Obama Doctrine</a> may be best summed up as <a title="Politico" href="http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/dont-do-stupid-shit-president-obama-white-house-107293.html">'Don't Do Stupid Shit,'</a> which may be <a title="War On The Rocks" href="http://warontherocks.com/2014/05/obamas-new-doctrine-what-americans-want-but-not-what-they-need/">What Americans Want, But Not What They Need</a>. But we should see <a title="HuffPo/TomDispatch" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-engelhardt/why-there-is-no-obama-doctrine_b_5452118.html">Why There Is No Obama Doctrine</a> tag:metafilter.com,2014:site.139804Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:52:36 -0800the man of twists and turnsUS use of drones: The good and badhttp://www.metafilter.com/130973/US%2Duse%2Dof%2Ddrones%2DThe%2Dgood%2Dand%2Dbad
<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/09/the-killing-machines-how-to-think-about-drones/309434/">This article covers the US drone program</a>. It looks at the pilots of drones, the decisions to use a drone, their highly effective short terms goals vs long term potential blowback and whether drone strikes are legal. tag:metafilter.com,2013:site.130973Thu, 15 Aug 2013 06:47:36 -0800Brandon BlatcherHow the Bush administration sold the Iraq warhttp://www.metafilter.com/125120/How%2Dthe%2DBush%2Dadministration%2Dsold%2Dthe%2DIraq%2Dwar
<em>“Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction,” Cheney said. “There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us.” Zinni, sitting right next to Cheney’s lectern, says he “literally bolted” when he heard the vice president’s comments. <a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/16/how-the-bush-administration-sold-the-iraq-war/">“In doing work with the CIA on Iraq WMD [weapons of mass destruction], through all the briefings I heard at Langley, I never saw one piece of credible evidence that there was an ongoing program.”</a></em> Rachel Maddow hosts <a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/14/16966287-hubris-the-selling-of-the-iraq-war-monday-218-at-9-pm-et?lite">Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War</a>, a documentary special, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/030734682X/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/">based on the eponymous book by Michael Isikoff and David Corn</a>, that will air Monday, February 18 on MSNBC at 9 p.m. tag:metafilter.com,2013:site.125120Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:04:09 -0800shivohumThe Permanent Warhttp://www.metafilter.com/121268/The%2DPermanent%2DWar
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/behind-the-us-targeted-killing-program/2012/10/23/e43a3b02-1d39-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_video.html">The Permanent War</a> (video). "This project, based on interviews with dozens of current and former national security officials, intelligence analysts and others, examines evolving U.S. counterterrorism policies and the practice of targeted killing." Part 1: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/plan-for-hunting-terrorists-signals-us-intends-to-keep-adding-names-to-kill-lists/2012/10/23/4789b2ae-18b3-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_story.html">Plan for hunting terrorists signals U.S. intends to keep adding names to kill lists.</a> Part 2: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-veteran-john-brennan-has-transformed-us-counterterrorism-policy/2012/10/24/318b8eec-1c7c-11e2-ad90-ba5920e56eb3_story.html">A CIA veteran transforms U.S. counterterrorism policy.</a> Part 3: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/remote-us-base-at-core-of-secret-operations/2012/10/25/a26a9392-197a-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html">Remote U.S. base at core of secret operations.</a> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/un-to-probe-drone-attacks-by-us-others-resulting-in-civilian-deaths/2012/10/25/3c4f454e-1ee8-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html">U.N. to probe drone attacks by U.S., others resulting in civilian deaths</a> tag:metafilter.com,2012:site.121268Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:35:27 -0800homunculusThink Again: Warhttp://www.metafilter.com/106541/Think%2DAgain%2DWar
<a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/08/15/think_again_war?page=full">World peace could be closer than you think.</a> <a href="http://www.joshuagoldstein.com/">Joshua S. Goldstein</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525952535/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/">Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide</a> writes in Foreign Policy Magazine on why things are getting better. "The last decade has seen <a href="http://www.prio.no/CSCW/Datasets/Armed-Conflict/Battle-Deaths/">fewer war deaths</a> than any decade in the past 100 years." tag:metafilter.com,2011:site.106541Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:53:04 -0800joannemullenPlanet Warhttp://www.metafilter.com/89479/Planet%2DWar
From the bloody civil wars in Africa to the rag-tag insurgencies in Southeast Asia, <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/planet_war?page=full">33 conflicts are raging around the world today</a>, and it’s often innocent civilians who suffer the most. Each photo and summary has deep back story links. tag:metafilter.com,2010:site.89479Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:53:47 -0800netbrosTake Me Back to Constantinople by Edward Luttwakhttp://www.metafilter.com/88603/Take%2DMe%2DBack%2Dto%2DConstantinople%2Dby%2DEdward%2DLuttwak
<em>Economic crisis, mounting national debt, excessive foreign commitments -- this is no way to run an empire. America needs serious strategic counseling. And fast. It has never been Rome, and to adopt its strategies no -- its ruthless expansion of empire, domination of foreign peoples, and bone-crushing brand of total war -- would only hasten America's decline. Better instead to look to the empire's eastern incarnation: Byzantium, which outlasted its Roman predecessor by eight centuries. <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/19/take_me_back_to_constantinople">It is the lessons of Byzantine grand strategy that America must rediscover today.</a></em> tag:metafilter.com,2010:site.88603Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:43:30 -0800jason's_planetEnding Chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistanhttp://www.metafilter.com/76052/Ending%2DChaos%2Din%2DAfghanistan%2Dand%2DPakistan
<a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20081001faessay87603/barnett-r-rubin-ahmed-rashid/from-great-game-to-grand-bargain.html">From Great Game to Grand Bargain.</a> "The crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan is beyond the point where more troops will help. U.S. strategy must be to seek compromise with insurgents while addressing regional rivalries and insecurities." A new piece in <i>Foreign Affairs</i> by <a href="http://www.cic.nyu.edu/staff/rubinbio.html">Barnett R. Rubin</a> and <a href="http://www.ahmedrashid.com/">Ahmed Rashid</a>. <small>[<a href="http://www.juancole.com/">Via</a>]</small> tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.76052Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:09:19 -0800homunculusTalibanistanhttp://www.metafilter.com/74652/Talibanistan
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07pakistan-t.html?_r=1&amp;ref=magazine&amp;oref=slogin">Right at the Edge.</a> "The Taliban and Al Qaeda have established a haven in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the Afghan border. This is where the war on terror wil be fought – and possibly lost." tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.74652Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:45:22 -0800homunculusBacevich speaks to Moyer about the American Empirehttp://www.metafilter.com/74213/Bacevich%2Dspeaks%2Dto%2DMoyer%2Dabout%2Dthe%2DAmerican%2DEmpire
Ret. Col. Andrew Bacevich <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/watch.html">speaks to Bill Moyers</a> (<a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/transcript1.html">transcript</a>) about the <a href="http://www.americanempireproject.com">American empire</a> and his new book <a href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/profile2.html">"The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism."</a> tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.74213Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:00:56 -0800geosAdmiral Fallonhttp://www.metafilter.com/69646/Admiral%2DFallon
<a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/fox-fallon">The Man Between War and Peace.</a> "As head of U. S. Central Command, Admiral William 'Fox' Fallon is in charge of American military strategy for the most troubled parts of the world. Now, as the White House has been escalating the war of words with Iran, and seeming ever more determined to strike militarily before the end of this presidency, the admiral has urged restraint and diplomacy. Who will prevail, the president or the admiral?" <small>[Via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/05/fallon-bush-fire/">Think Progress</a>.]</small> tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.69646Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:59:59 -0800homunculusIt's Tuesdayhttp://www.metafilter.com/64609/Its%2DTuesday
<a href="http://www.martinamisweb.com/">Martin Amis</a> on <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2424020.ece">9/11 and the cult of death</a>: <blockquote>"Let us briefly trundle through the argument for moral equivalence, and let us begin with a trio of ascertainable truths. First, the years 1947 and 1948 saw two imperialistic decisions that guaranteed an increase in hostility between Muslim and nonMuslim: the partition of India along religious lines, and the establishment of the state of Israel. (These decisions also led to, but did not invent, murderous hostility between Muslim and Muslim – in East Pakistan, in Gaza). Second, throughout the 1970s the Arab regimes sponsored by the US started to head off political dissent by guiding the opposition towards Islamic fundamentalism. And, third, in the 1980s the US backed the Mujahidin against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, and also helped to fund the Pakistani madrassas, whose graduates (all of them unemployable zealots) increased from 30,000 in 1987 to well over half a million by 2001.
Thereafter, or so the equivalence argument goes, the Islamist vanguard, having wearied of seeing the battles fought exclusively on its own soil, visited a taste of this destruction on the West. Which turns out to suit the neocons and Christian Zionists, who can now place the US under military rule while they prepare their push for Islamic oil and for Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. The goals of the so-called “terrorists” (who are merely responding in kind to state terrorism from the US and its clients) are not delusive or messianic but solemnly political. So it has always been: the oppressed struggle against the oppressor; the wrongs of the past rise up to avenge themselves on the present."</blockquote> tag:metafilter.com,2007:site.64609Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:15:38 -0800chuckdarwinAmerica to the Rescuehttp://www.metafilter.com/64085/America%2Dto%2Dthe%2DRescue
<a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/23/daily-show-three-generations-of-america-to-the-rescue/">Three Generations of “America to the Rescue.”</a> tag:metafilter.com,2007:site.64085Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:55:12 -0800homunculusRon Kovic on returning vetshttp://www.metafilter.com/48419/Ron%2DKovic%2Don%2Dreturning%2Dvets
<a href="http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/forgotten_wounded_20060117">Ron Kovic writes about returning wounded vets</a> <em>There are things here you can never forget, images and sounds and smells that you will never see on TV or read about in the newspapers.</em> tag:metafilter.com,2006:site.48419Fri, 20 Jan 2006 06:58:40 -0800Kirth GersonThe Oil Spot Strategyhttp://www.metafilter.com/48387/The%2DOil%2DSpot%2DStrategy
<a href="http://clnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060111%2FATLNEWS13%2F601110370%2F-1%2FATLNEWS">What is the "Oil Spot Strategy", and is the U.S. following it in Iraq?</a> <a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20050901faessay84508/andrew-f-krepinevich-jr/how-to-win-in-iraq.html">Scholars</a>, <a href="http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00A12FB345A0C7B8EDDA10894DD404482">pundits</a> [reg. required] and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/10/AR2005111002063.html">politicians</a> have been calling for a strategy in Iraq based on the one the British used during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Emergency">Malayan Emergency</a> for awhile now. There have been indications that <a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060109/9iraq_2.htm">the U.S. has</a> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/03/wirq03.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/12/03/ixworld.html">been listening</a>. It sounds like a good idea, the only problem being that it is estimated to take about <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2125905/">ten years</a> to work [2nd section]. tag:metafilter.com,2006:site.48387Thu, 19 Jan 2006 07:40:12 -0800ND¢Think We Can (French) Kiss and Make Up?http://www.metafilter.com/28227/Think%2DWe%2DCan%2DFrench%2DKiss%2Dand%2DMake%2DUp
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1031280,00.html">Think We Can (French) Kiss and Make Up?</a> Two years ago it was "<a href="http://www.info-france-usa.org/news/statmnts/2002/remembering.asp">I'll always love and support you</a>". It only took a little while, though, before the arguments began. But there are always counselors to help you <a href="http://www.frenchamerican.org/">work on the relationship</a>. There is even <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1031280,00.html">talk of reconciliation</a>. And anyway, this love-hate relationship has been going on for <a href="http://www.parisinmind.com">almost three centuries</a>. tag:metafilter.com,2003:site.28227Thu, 11 Sep 2003 09:27:52 -0800twsfWar With Iraq - As Predictable As Chesshttp://www.metafilter.com/21818/War%2DWith%2DIraq%2DAs%2DPredictable%2DAs%2DChess
<a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_muller111502.asp">War With Iraq - As Predictable As Chess</a> There is still a good chance we can avoid war with Iraq. Saddam Hussein has never won a war, and his military forces surely foresee their own destruction. Numerous assassination attempts by them (some involving the Republican Guard) have failed. They are likely trying again, even now. Therein lies our best hope.
What if they fail again? Then invasion by the U.S. is inevitable. tag:metafilter.com,2002:site.21818Fri, 22 Nov 2002 14:33:48 -0800daHIFIAnother thoughtful article<br>http://www.metafilter.com/10288/Another%2Dthoughtful%2Darticle
<a href="http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/corp-focus/2001/000085.html">Another thoughtful article<br></a> <i>Open the Washington Post to it's editorial pages, and war talk dominates:<br>
Henry Kissinger: Destroy the Network.<br>
Robert Kagan: We Must Fight This War.<br>
Charles Krauthammer: To War, Not to Court.<br>
William S. Cohen: American Holy War.<br>
There is no column by Colman McCarthy talking peace.</i> tag:metafilter.com,2001:site.10288Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:16:29 -0800mapalm